


Masked (Dreamswap)

by OneBizarreKai



Category: Undertale (Fandom), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blue snuck into the party, Characters are portrayed as human, Dreamswap - AU, M/M, Short Story, behold my take on the masquerade party concept, freakin Blue, there's a second part now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:06:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneBizarreKai/pseuds/OneBizarreKai
Summary: “My apologies if I’m interrupting…” he started. “But I was really hoping I could have this dance, Lord Dream.”He had a confident and smooth higher tone to his voice.Something about him seemed undeniably familiar, and even suspicious, but Dream couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He passed it off as his imagination.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, a few days ago, I presented the idea of Dream holding a masquerade party and Blue sneaking in and asking Dream for a dance while in disguise. I've got a number of awesome responses, but I thought I'd throw in my full interpretation of the idea because I love these two and it every time I think about the concept I like it more, haha.

As repetitive as the regular passing days sometimes felt to Dream, even this formal party that happened as little as annually was suffering the same fate in his mind.  
  
It was necessary. Being a fundraiser and one of the major parties of the year, it helped Justice Reigns gain… well, funds, significantly. It was a masquerade party, and all the guests, naturally, would show up wearing decorative masks of varying degrees of aesthetic appeal with their tuxes or gowns.  
  
Dream’s brother Nightmare most likely would’ve labeled the party ‘hoity-toity’, since the majority of those attending were really rich people, due to the expensive tickets. A lot of them were old people, too.  
  
Being around old people always made Dream feel old.  
  
But he didn’t have time to think about how he felt about all of this. Sure, it was extremely tiring to have to do all the socializing and schmoozing, and to keep up this good face as a host and the freaking CEO of Justice Reigns, but he was used to it by now.  
  
Dream was speaking to someone at the time, answering a number of questions that he had probably answered a hundred times before. The individual was an annoying old guy in a fedora that Dream found himself absolutely not wanting to talk to with every passing moment since the old man seemed to be an ungodly level of thickheaded and incapable of understanding what Dream was even saying.  
  
Right as Dream was about to make an excuse to walk away, someone else approached him first.  
  
It was an eccentric-looking young man in a dark grey suit wearing a blue bow tie. His hair was jet black, a portion of it clearly colored white, and his skin was a fair tone. A black and white mask obstructed much of his face, completely hiding his eyes behind its design and even concealing his identity.  
  
“My apologies if I’m interrupting…” he started. “But I was really hoping I could have this dance, Lord Dream.”  
  
He had a confident and smooth higher tone to his voice.  
  
Something about him seemed undeniably familiar, and even _suspicious_ , but Dream couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He passed it off as his imagination.  
  
“We are having a very important conversation, young man!” the old man practically wheezed. “You cannot simply walk on up here and expect to–!”  
  
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.  
  
“You know, why don’t we?” Dream suggested. “Apologies, good sir; we can continue later.” He held up his palm towards the stranger in front of him and the other gladly took it. They walked away from the old man, making their way further towards the room’s center.  
  
“What a drag, am I right?” the young man asked in a whisper.  
  
“Pardon?” Dream asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“I saw how bored you looked talking to him,” he continued as they positioned themselves. “And I think that’s precisely why you agreed at all.”  
  
Dream let out a huff of air. “Was it that obvious? Well, I suppose I can only hope that you happen to be skilled at identifying that, and that I don’t appear that way to everyone.”  
  
“Oh, don’t worry, my lord,” the shorter one said, following Dream’s lead as the music started. “It’s likely just me.”  
  
“Anyway, now,” Dream started, “I don’t believe we’ve formally met, have we? Although, facial recognition provides little use under these circumstances. I’d say you’re a bit more disguised than many others here.”  
  
“But isn’t that part of the fun?” the young man asked. “Perhaps my identity should remain concealed. I doubt that we’ll encounter again, anyway.”  
  
Was he a child?  
  
“I should at least know who rescued me from a boring interrogation,” Dream said.  
  
Dream spun the other out and back to him. The young man finished the spin closer to Dream than he was before, but didn’t seem to move away again, maintaining the small distance between them.  
  
“It’s a secret, my lord,” the disguised boy said, a grin overt on the part of his face that was actually visible. He was looking up at Dream, gaze seemingly affixed to his.  
  
Wait, was this guy actually hitting on him?  
  
“ _God, I should’ve expected as much_ …” Dream thought.  
  
Although, he wasn’t bad-looking in the slightest… and he certainly didn’t talk like the age he appeared at, which must’ve been somewhere in his twenties. He seemed much more mature and intelligent than many others that Dream had spoken with at the party.  
  
It felt more and more like there may have been strings attached with every passing moment, but Dream passed them off as paranoia.  
  
Dream stopped himself in thought. Was he seriously pondering the good qualities of this stranger? He was a _businessman_ right now, not a teenager.  
  
The man in front of him had a smirk on his face like he knew exactly what Dream was thinking. Which would be ridiculous, because no sane person would actually guess that Dream was thinking the things he was, especially not a stranger!  
  
Before he realized it, the song had ended. Dream snapped out of his zone and stepped away.  
  
“That was unfortunately short-lived,” the stranger said with a sigh. “You seem like you have something on your mind, Lord Dream.”  
  
“It’s… nothing,” Dream said, struggling to keep himself not zoned out.  
  
Why did this young man seem so familiar?  
  
And… unbelievably _attractive_.  
  
“Well…” he started, walking up to Dream’s side and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I have a proposition for you… If you ever get bored again, just come find me.” Dream didn’t move as he leaned closer to his ear. “I’ll be near the back.”  
  
He chuckled under his breath, walking past Dream and disappearing off into the crowd of people.  
  
Dream was silent for a little while, watching the man as he vanished off.  
  
“ _Who… is he_??” Dream thought.  
  
Why did he act like he was so familiar with Dream? No. Why did he act like he was so AWARE of everything Dream was thinking? That was the unsettling part.  
  
Dream forced himself to focus, walking off to go do something productive again to tide off his feelings and hopefully avoid the old guy this stranger had helped him get away from.

* * *

Dream wasn’t entirely certain what possessed him to go and find that young man again of all choices he could’ve possibly made, but the old man had located him, bringing a large group of people equally as stupid with him. Dream desperately needed to escape.  
  
He knew in his mind what was probably going to happen should he go back to the stranger, but at this point, he didn’t even care anymore. He just needed an excuse to leave, and that was the solution that came to mind.  
  
Dream came to the back of the large hall, looking over his shoulder at the group of people he just ditched. It would only be a matter of moments before they realized he had left while they were chattering; his time was limited.  
  
Conveniently, he spotted the young man hanging out by the refreshments table like he’d been there for a while. He glanced over, noticing Dream walking in his general direction and smiled.  
  
“What’s up, angel boy?” he asked, but then paused. Relief seemed to washed over him as the statement blew over Dream’s head.  
  
“You have to help me,” Dream said, holding his hand up as if to take hold of the shorter one’s arm. “There’s too many of them.”  
  
“You need a buddy to sneak out with?” the young man asked. He laughed. “Whatever you say, Lord Dream.”  
  
The more words came out of his mouth, the more familiar this man seemed.  
  
He took hold of Dream’s arm, briskly pulling him behind the nearby staircase as the heads of the problem group started to turn, noticing what had happened. Dream was a bit taken aback by his actions, but promptly understood.  
  
“Where to, my lord?” the young man asked, still smiling all the while. “It’s your castle, isn’t it?”  
  
Dream looked around the room from their position, glancing around the open area for a moment.  
  
“That balcony that I was on when I opened the party,” he said, pointing to a balcony protruding out of the opposite wall. “It’s off limits right now. And if we go to the space that leads to it, it should just look like we went somewhere quiet to talk.”  
  
The masked one laughed again. “You’re really something, aren’t you?”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dream asked, accidentally letting his professional face slip. He stopped, realizing his mistake. That didn’t usually happen.  
  
The young man seemed to notice this. “Just something I like about you,” he said. He didn’t sound anything but pleased by it… almost like he’d been intending for that. “So, how do we get up there?”  
  
“The door is over there…” Dream replied, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. A long crowd of people stood between them and the door. Several people who were looking for him were interspersed within it. “Well, making a professional excuse is certainly an option. We could just walk over and if anyone tries to stop me–”  
  
“Oh please,” the shorter man interrupted him. “There are more interesting ways to handle things like this. I’m a professional at creating distractions.” He was about to slip out, but Dream grabbed his arm.  
  
“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” he said, pulling him back behind the stairs. The young man groaned.  
  
“That’s no fun,” he whined.  
  
Dream signaled for him to follow, and they walked along the edge of the large space, trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible.  
  
The masked one, following behind him quietly, was gazing over at the crowd like he intended to trip someone just to divert attention. Dream grabbed his arm, pulling him along before he could do so.  
  
Surprisingly, they were able to slip into the off-limits passageway without getting caught. The people looking for them must’ve been really stupid.  
  
“That was way too easy,” the young man grumbled, sounding disappointed.  
  
Dream let out a loud sigh, locking the door and leaning against it. He grabbed at his embellished and feathered red mask and pulled it up to the top of his head, finally exposing the rest of his face. Though, it wasn’t like anyone had a hard time recognizing him, anyway.  
  
He had dark shadows under his eyes.  
  
“Gosh, you look… really tired,” the shorter man said.  
  
“It didn’t make any marks on my face, did it?” Dream asked somewhat jokingly.  
  
The masked stranger brought his hand up to the side of Dream’s head, prompting the taller one to turn his head towards him.  
  
“Maybe a few…” he said, leaning closer to him. Dream found himself leaning closer too, caught up in the moment. He didn’t even know this man’s name, but he didn’t stop himself.  
  
Their lips met, just for a few seconds. They paused for a moment, holding the close position, before kissing again more roughly, fully turning their bodies towards each other.  
  
“… still don’t intend to introduce yourself, fair stranger?” Dream asked. He reached around behind the shorter man’s head, pulling off his mask and revealing the rest of his face.  
  
Dream froze, the mask falling from his hand to the ground.  
  
“What… the… _fuck_?” he choked.  
  
Blue let out a single snigger.  
  
“WHAT?!” Dream yelled this time.  
  
“What’s the matter, angel boy?” he asked, holding back laughter. “Don’t tell me you didn’t even consider it.”  
  
“You–insufferable–!!” Blue hushed him, putting a finger against his lips. He was grinning widely, looking very pleased with himself.  
  
“You’re the one who came back to me, Dream,” Blue said. “It’s not my fault that you decided to do that.”  
  
“How did you even get in here?!” Dream demanded. His face was glowing with embarrassment by then.  
  
“You know I have my ways,” Blue cooed, turning his head slightly. He was still positioned right in front of Dream, their heads mere inches apart. “So, what do you intend to do about this?” He chuckled again. “You like me, I know it~”  
  
“Shut… up!” Dream retorted. He could’ve pushed Blue away, but for some reason beyond him, he couldn’t. His impression of that alter ego and Blue were mixing together and creating something… more _appealing_ than it should have.  
  
It was _bad_.  
  
“I didn’t realize how easy it would be to confirm it,” Blue continued. “Oh, Dream. Going off with a random stranger? Either you knew in your heart it was me or you’re just…”  
  
Dream grabbed at the front of Blue’s suit, swinging him around and trapping him against the wall.  
  
“I said… _shut up_ ,” Dream ordered, glaring at him right in the eyes.  
  
“But really, think about it, Dream,” Blue said. “Does you knowing it’s me really make a difference? How am I any different from that figure you saw in the mask?”  
  
“Because I know you were _acting_ ,” Dream replied darkly.  
  
“Was I, Dream?” Blue asked, placing his hand on top of the one gripping his jacket. “Do you really suppose I was acting?” He put his other hand on Dream’s cheek again. “Because not much has really changed… my lord.”  
  
“Stop,” Dream hissed.  
  
“Just admit it already. You really like me,” Blue said, a slight purr in his voice. “And I like you, Dream. It’s so nice…” His hand gently brushed down Dream’s cheek. Dream didn’t move. “… knowing someone who’s able to _think_ like I can. I know you understand this. So, let go of all this burdensome spite already.”  
  
Blue took hold of Dream’s face in his hands, leaning up and giving him a tender kiss. Dream didn’t fight him. He couldn’t find it in himself to. His emotions were overtaking him, screaming for him to give in.  
  
“… you know, there will be _consequences_ for this deceit,” Dream said.  
  
“It’s your fault for not recognizing me, angel boy,” Blue told him with a smile.  
  
“I know you did it on purpose. You planned all of this.”  
  
“I know you too well, don’t I–?”  
  
Dream interrupted him with a kiss, pushing him harder against the wall. Blue snaked his arms around Dream’s waist, joyfully accepting it.  
  
“I don’t know why I like you,” Dream mumbled.  
  
“Hah,” Blue scoffed. “You do like me!”  
  
“And you’ll repeat it to _no one_ ,” Dream ordered in a low voice.  
  
Blue laughed. “As you wish, Lord Dream,” he said.  
  
The distance between them closed yet again.


	2. Blue is a Douchebag: A Documentary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't intending to write more of this.
> 
> It happened anyway… oops.
> 
> Also the chapter title has virtually nothing to do with the chapter, I just wanted to call it that.

Dream couldn’t believe he’d done that.  
  
Why was he so stupid.  
  
Why was he so damn stupid?  
  
He put his elbows on his desk, propping his face up with his hands over his eyes. A position of internal shame and undeniable cringing.  
  
His pride was only partially hurt over the fact that he didn’t recognize Blue. Blue was very well-disguised; he’d even gone as far as to dye his normally-chestnut hair. Dream wasn’t even that bothered by the fact that he didn’t recognize Blue’s voice–no, most of the damage to Dream’s pride was caused by his inability to use the rational part of his brain and not, well…  
  
… make out with Blue in a closet even after finding out it was him.  
  
Dream let out a childish pained cry, collapsing forward in a heap. He buried his head in his arms as he felt heat rush to his face.  
  
He wasn’t a child.  
  
He wasn’t!  
  
How was he supposed to get out of this? He told Blue he liked him. He told him! He wasn’t even drunk, either! He didn’t drink anymore!  
  
The fact that he wasn’t lying was the worst part. It was hardly a spur-of-the-moment incident. He wouldn’t admit that Blue always intrigued him, as annoying as he was–Blue was extremely smart, and he and Dream had actually had a lot of decent conversations, although those circumstances may have been by chance and caused by Blue entering the castle without permission, as per usual.  
  
And clearly, because Dream was still _that_ attracted to him in disguise, the only thing keeping him back was his opinion of Blue in general. He was the opposite of trustworthy, and was always sauntering around and making occasional passes at Dream like he had nothing better to do.  
  
And somewhere among all that, Dream started feeling something for him.  
  
Yet, in spite of what Blue had told him, Dream didn’t know if Blue really meant it when he said he felt the same. Perhaps… he was acting. Playing another game. Trying to toy with Dream or get something out of it.  
  
One could never tell with Blue.  
  
“Boss. Hey. Boss,” Ink’s voice echoed faintly in his mind. Dream dismissed it, staying face-planted on his desk. “Earth to Dream.”  
  
Dream realized Ink was actually there and lifted himself up slightly. Ink flinched a bit at Dream’s unamused expression, but shrugged it off as he recalled how normal this was becoming.  
  
“I made you some coffee,” Ink said, placing a mug on Dream’s desk in front of him. “All the stuff you like in it.”  
  
“Oh, thank you, my so very loyal _secretary_ ,” Dream replied, letting out a half-hearted laugh.  
  
Ink blinked at Dream’s sarcasm, looking away awkwardly, as if processing the uncharacteristic behavior.  
  
“So uh. How was the… uh, fundraiser thing?” Ink asked.  
  
Dream was still leaning onto his desk, tracing his finger around the rim of the mug.  
  
“Fairly boring,” Dream responded.  
  
“I… heard you disappeared for like twenty minutes,” Ink added, fidgeting.  
  
“You heard?” Dream asked. He sat up, leaning back in his chair and scooting it forward a bit. “From whom, now?” He picked up the mug, bringing it closer to his face.  
  
“Uh, it’s being passed around,” Ink answered with a shrug. “Just chatter. Everyone’s like, you disappeared into a room with this guy wearing a mask that looked like the Batman logo. But only maybe.”  
  
Seeing the agitated expression that slowly began to appear on Dream’s face, Ink promptly regretted adding that part.  
  
Dream let out a sigh. “We were talking,” he said. “Besides. I was being hunted down a thick-headed old man and his thick-headed friends. God, they were not shutting up.” He sipped his coffee to check the temperature to find it at one actually drinkable, surprisingly. He did an exaggerated impression of the old man he had spoken to.  “ _So, sir, tell me again about that orphanage program–do you keep REAL children there_?”  
  
“What the hell?” Ink asked, a smile twitching on his face.  
  
“Okay, okay,” Dream spoke again, leaning back forward. “He didn’t say that but he might as well have. Somehow he was having a difficult time believing that we actually rescued kids there and didn’t just… bring in parentless kids from rich families or something, I don’t know.”  
  
“… huh. Sounds like a pain in the neck,” Ink replied.  
  
“Oh, yes,” Dream started again. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What did you do during the party?  
  
“Hey, I didn’t break in, at least,” Ink told him. “So I did what you said. In fact, I was filling my time doing totally normal things.”  
  
“Really?” Dream asked.  
  
“Yeah. Definitely.”  
  
_FLASHBACK TIME!!_  
  
_Somewhere in an upper level of JR…_  
  
_“HAH! You owe me 450!” Cross laughed. “Hand over that cash!”_  
  
_“Yes… yes Cross, I know,” Nightmare said._  
  
_“Your enthusiasm is baffling me,” Ink grumbled, lying on his stomach. “The fact that you still think you can win is…”_  
  
_“Shh. Shh, don’t ruin his misguided hope,” Error told him._  
  
_“My hope is not misguided!” Cross declared. “I have a… corner of death!”_  
  
_“Error is destroying all of us, dude,” Nightmare commented._  
  
_“Well maybe if you just gave me the last purple place this wouldn’t be a problem,” Cross said._  
  
_“I’ll take this purple place to COURT,” Nightmare retorted. “This game is about seeing which one of us dies first now, Cross!”_  
  
_Error rolled and landed on one of his railroads after passing go._  
  
_“Eyyy, safe,” he said. Cross and Nightmare groaned._  
  
_Cross slowly took the dice and rolled._  
  
_“Oh fuck,” he said. “Aghhhh, nooo!!”_  
  
_He dejectedly moved his piece to Error’s hoteled Boardwalk._  
  
_END FLASHBACK._  
  
“I was drawing and watching Breaking Bad like a totally normal millennial,” Ink said. “Oh. I also went through two bags of popcorn, a pringles container and an entire full size bottle of hawaiian punch. It was horrible and so worth it.”  
  
“Well, I’m glad you… enjoyed yourself,” Dream said. “I certainly hope these questionable decisions don’t impede with your ability to work, because I have a job for you.”  
  
Ink perked up a bit. His eyes flickered, the symbols within his pupils changing momentarily.  
  
Dream picked up a few pieces of paper from beside his desktop and handed them to Ink. Ink glanced over them–they seemed to be a record of someone.  
  
“This human,” Dream started. “Randy Linston. Serial killer and rapist that’s gaining a name in his universe. He needs to be taken care of.”  
  
“What AU?” Ink asked.  
  
“SWPF1135H,” Dream told him, sipping his coffee. “The JD and I will be paying…” He looked down at another piece of paper momentarily. “FLPN7…” He sighed. “A version of Underfell a visit. There’s some murder cult forming in their second underground in China.”  
  
“Oh, so you finally get to speak Chinese again?” Ink asked.  
  
“It’s called Mandarin,” Dream said.  
  
“Whatevs,” Ink replied, shrugging. “Man. Why don’t I get to go fight the murder cult?”  
  
“Because I need you to eliminate this other menace to society, Ink,” Dream told him. “You’ve done nothing but complain about how I never give you solo missions anymore and when I actually do you just–“  
  
“Okay okay okay, fine, I’m good,” Ink interrupted. “I’ll go take care of whatever his name was. Randy.” He snickered. “What the hell kind of a serial killer name is Randy, anyway? Man, imagine–“ Ink held his hands up and stared off into space. “He appears on the opposite side of a dark room.” He did a high pitched voice. “ _Who are you? Is someone there_?” He turned the other way, posing dramatically, holding his hand up to his face. “ _It’s me, RANDY! Prepare to die, motherfu–_ “  
  
“Ink, can you please be serious for just a minute?” Dream asked.  
  
“Eh, what good does that do?” Ink questioned, slumping a bit. “I can have my fun, can’t I?”  
  
“What I mean is, don’t swear in my office.”  
  
“What, so it doesn’t contaminate the air?”  
  
Dream’s eyes narrowed. Ink frowned, backing down. Dream took a deep breath before he began talking again.  
  
“Please be sure to read through all the papers before making any decisions,” he said.  
  
“Yeah yeah, I get it…” Ink grumbled defeatedly. “Anything else?”  
  
“I believe that’s it. Good luck.”  
  
Ink let out a faint hum, spinning on his heel and meandering out of the room as he continued looking through the papers.  
  
With Ink gone, Dream’s thoughts immediately went back to Blue.  
  
For the love of god, he had so much more important things to be thinking about.  
  
He somewhat aggressively rose to his feet, hands on his desk. He pulled on a small lever under the table, unlatching a drawer that initially appeared to be attached to the table and sliding it open.  
  
Dream pulled his signature claymore out of the drawer, unsheathing it and inspecting it as he held it in front of himself. Good, it had been properly cleaned this time.  
  
He put it back in the sheath, bringing it with him as he entered his living space conjoined with the office to go and change into something more battle-appropriate.

* * *

Later…  
  
“You push your blade back in, you pull your blade back out, you push your blade back in and you twist it all about…” Ink sang to himself for some reason, spinning his brush around in his hand. He was wandering the streets of his assigned AU, searching for the suspected next target area of the serial killer he’d been told about. “You stab and disembowel them until they start to shout, that’s what it’s all about…”  
  
He let out a huff of air, stopping in his tracks and pulling a folded piece of paper of out his pocket.  
  
“God, where even is 227?” Ink mumbled to himself, looking over the street. “237… 235…”  
  
He groaned, shoving the paper back in his pocket and continuing on. He was close. Well, unless there ended up being some random void between house numbers again. That happened way more often than he would’ve liked.  
  
_Just stay motivated…_  
  
That annoying empty feeling gradually started to bite at Ink. He would’ve been frustrated, but his ability to do so was gradually fading.  
  
Without even hesitating, Ink pulled a capsule out of his gold sash and downed a small amount.  
  
There, now he actually felt motivated. He picked up the pace a bit, making his way to the house, holding his brush tightly. Man, he was excited to _fuck this guy up_.  
  
It wasn’t long before he arrived there. It was a small house–no, all the houses in the neighborhood were small, so it was to be expected. They were all one story and it was in the woods, so there were trees between all the houses. Nobody would see what was happening unless they were squinting or something.  
  
He lazily hopped up the front steps, knocking on the door. It wasn’t too late at night, right? It was only ten. Plus, the TV in the living room adjacent to the front hallway was on and a movie of some sort was playing.  
  
After several seconds, the door slowly opened, revealing a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties. She looked at Ink in confusion, scanning him up and down. Doubt seemed to fill her eyes when she saw the JR pin attached to Ink’s small scarf.  
  
“Hi, I’m from Justice Reigns,” Ink said. He pulled a badge from his inside coat pocket, holding it up. The woman tensed.  
  
“Is… is there something I can help you with?” she asked, fingers curling against the doorframe where they were rested.  
  
“Have you heard of, uh…” Ink trailed off, pulling a crumbled piece of paper from his pocket. He glanced of it for a second. “Randy Linston. That guy.”  
  
“… the serial killer? Yeah, the name is all over the news…”  
  
“Yeah, he’s supposed to come here next,” Ink said. “Like, right to this pretty little house, at 10:30.”  
  
“W-what??”  
  
“But relax. That’s why I’m here. So don’t worry your head. I’m taking care of it. So like, you see shit going down in your backyard or something? Ignore it.”  
  
Ink briefly contemplated how strange it was that anyone would have the guts to be this guy in an AU where people knew what Justice Reigns was, as the paper had said, but he didn’t bother questioning it further. At least this person in particular knew what it was.  
  
“So I’m just gonna… chill out here until he gets here,” Ink continued. “Keep watching your movie, or whatever you’re doing.”  
  
“Uh… Okay…”  
  
Ink turned away, giving a short wave. He placed his hand on the railing of the porch, hopping onto it and swinging himself up to the roof in one quick movement. The front door closed again, a fairly confused person behind it. Ink plopped down on the roof, letting out a huff of air as he rested his head on his propped up arms.  
  
The warning did say around 10:30, right? The decoded warning, at least? God, what was it with serial killers trying to be so cryptic? JR always caught them regardless.  
  
This was going to be a long half hour.

* * *

“ _Don’t let any of them escape_!” Dream ordered, his voice echoing in the cavern. He drew his sword as the group of masked monster cultists drew knives from their cloaks, the justice division following his lead.  
  
“My lord. Will we be taking any of them back with us?” Dream’s secondary asked.  
  
Dream furrowed his brow as he stared down the group in front of him. “No. There’s nothing to learn from people like this.”  
  
He raised his sword, glaring at the unmasked individual on the other side of the room. The leader, so it seemed.  
  
“In the name of justice,” Dream started, switching languages, “ _accept your fate_.”  
  
The silence of the cavern disappeared quickly. Screams of cultists came as they dropped like flies, dusting one after another. Dream zipped over to the far side of the room, slamming into the floor almost hard enough to crack it, keeping his eyes on the leader all the while as he rose to his feet.  
  
“What do you have to gain from this?” Dream asked, his Mandarin Chinese coming off like it was natural.  
  
“Is that really a question, o great Lord Dream?” the monster replied in the same language, hands behind his back. “I feel so honored that I’m being paid a visit by the wannabe god himself.”  
  
“Oh, of course,” Dream said. “I don’t know why I bother trying to communicate with tyrannical people like yourself…”  
  
He briskly moved to the side as a wielded knife was thrust towards him.  
  
“What’s the matter? You’re a monster, don’t you have magic?” Dream asked. “Oh wait. I saw it on the notes about this world. No magic, right? Truly unfortunate.”  
  
In a swift motion, he raised his sword to plunge it through the opponent. The leader moved aside, but a solidified spike of light shot from Dream’s back and impaled him.  
  
Dream’s expression was blank, still glaring at the monster. “Better luck next time,” he said. He drove his sword through the leader’s heart and dust scattered.  
  
He turned around, the cavern now filled with piles of dust and JD soldiers sheathing their weapons.  
  
“Was that all of them?” Dream asked, speaking in English again. “None got away? Because this will build itself back up if there are any.”  
  
“No, my lord,” his secondary replied. “None were able to get away.”  
  
Dream sheathed his sword. “Then let’s be on our way and let the AMH take it from here. Understood?”  
  
“Yes sir,” the soldiers declared.

* * *

“Quite the display that was, wasn’t it, Lord Dream?”  
  
When Dream returned to his office, this voice hitting his ears had him almost jumping in the air and cursing out loud.  
  
Oh god, no.  
  
There he was. There was Blue, being a little shit as always, sitting in Dream’s spinning office chair at his desk with his legs crossed. His hair was still colored black and white like it had been the previous night, indicating that Blue had actually dyed it. The concept of anyone realizing that masked person he was with the previous night was Blue frightened Dream a bit.  
  
“Blue, what the hell are you doing here?” Dream asked. He was still wearing his battle outfit from before and was already rather desperate to get out of it.  
  
“Aw come on, aren’t I allowed to pay a visit to my one and only love?” Blue asked.  
  
“Is there something you want?” Dream asked, letting out a huff of air.  
  
Blue leaned forward, resting his arms on Dream’s desk. “Come on, are you really asking that? I just wanted to see you, and I think you know why.”  
  
“Then visit like a normal person rather than just being here when I get back,” Dream grumbled, walking up to the desk.  
  
“But where’s the fun in that?” Blue asked him. “I know normality totally bores you. Besides, would your reaction really be that much different?”  
  
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”  
  
“What, so you can change your clothes? That does look rather uncomfortable,” Blue said, standing up. “Or, I could certainly just… _help_ you.” He brushed his fingers up Dream’s shoulder, a grin on his face.  
  
“No,” Dream answered sternly, pushing his hand off.  
  
“Aww, why such a buzzkill?” Blue whined. “I’m just joking.”  
  
Dream turned away, making his way towards the doors of his living area. “Blue, please. I’m too mentally exhausted for this.”  
  
Blue hopped over behind him as he walked. “It’s only two in the afternoon. Are you just tired all the time?”  
  
“Yes,” Dream responded.  
  
“Then take a nap or something. I’m sure everyone will understand, won’t they?”  
  
Dream stopped in his tracks and turned around to face him. “I. Can’t. I have work to do. Work that I can’t leave unattended. These things have significant priority.”  
  
“How far behind could you get?” Blue asked him. “You know, working yourself so hard and not sleeping properly all the while isn’t good for you.”  
  
“What do you even care?” Dream said under his breath. “You just want me to pay attention to you, not sleep.”  
  
“Of course I care,” Blue affirmed. “I wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you, angel boy.”  
  
Dream was quiet.  
  
… sleeping did actually sound kind of nice.  
  
“I can’t just… take a break without warning,” Dream said. “There are people who need my attention.”  
  
“Just make Ink send them away or something,” Blue told him.  
  
“Ink isn’t here. He’s working.”  
  
“Still?” Blue asked. “How much time does it take do a small task like that?”  
  
Dream’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Have you just been following us around all day?”  
  
“Oops, you caught me,” Blue replied with a shrug. “It was certainly worth it, though.” He stepped closer to Dream, and suddenly the distance between them had grown closer to potentially uncomfortable. “I don’t know why I haven’t before. You really have another side, don’t you?”  
  
“What are you talking about?” Dream asked.  
  
“One could think you might even enjoy the work you do,” Blue told him, smirking. “But even if you don’t…”  
  
Blue’s hand came up to Dream’s cheek, caressing it slightly.  
  
“I think I really saw something I _liked_.”  
  
Dream didn’t move. He found himself stiffened up again, a nervous feeling filling him and his heart rate picking up. The fact that Blue may have understood him speaking a different language didn’t occur to him.  
  
Blue was touching him, and he felt very inclined to return the same.  
  
“… did you, now,” Dream managed to say. He was trying to will himself to stay still, in spite of his thoughts screaming for him to bring Blue closer. It wasn’t working so well.  
  
“Oh, absolutely…” Blue replied, the smile on his face persisting. “I love it when people aren’t as they seem. And many of them are, Dream.”  
  
Dream brought his hand up to Blue’s.  
  
“Then I suppose there’s no harm in expressing some of that,” Dream told him.  
  
Blue raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”  
  
Dream grabbed Blue’s hand and pulled him around behind him, shoving him up against the door behind them and promptly kissing him rather roughly. Blue let out a bit of an amused huff, wrapping his arms around Dream’s neck and returning it.  
  
“I knew you wanted me here,” Blue told him, a glint almost in his eyes.  
  
“Don’t be so flippant about it next time,” Dream answered.  
  
Blue let out a laugh. “Whatever you say, angel boy.” He turned his head slightly. “Now, about that sleep you need?”  
  
Dream was quiet for a few moments.  
  
“… fine. But only for an hour,” he said.  
  
“Good,” Blue responded, running a hand through Dream’s hair.

* * *

MEANWHILE…  
  
“MOTHERFUCKER!” Ink shouted, his eyes blazing red. “I SEE YOU OVER THERE! YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER!”  
  
A figure in the bushes darted away as Ink flung paint at it and missed. Ink cursed again.  
  
“Do you have ANY idea how much time of mine you’re wasting? We all have agendas, you asshole! And I’d really like to move on with mine!”  
  
He saw something move in the bushes again, darting from behind trees. Growling loudly, Ink shot a bolt of paint at it and there was a loud ‘shink’. The figure fell to the ground.  
  
“GOD!” Ink shouted, throwing his arms in the air. He stormed up to the limp figure, seeing blood pool on the ground.  
  
Randy fucking Linston lay there, a glare in his twitching eyes.  
  
“In the name of justice, eat shit,” Ink said, flipping him off. His brush’s end coated itself in paint and solidified into a long point, which Ink didn’t hesitate to stab the offender with, finishing him. He pulled out his phone.  
  
It rang for a little while.  
  
“What the fuck, pick up already, Dream,” Ink grumbled.  
  
_Hello, you have reached Dream Von Licht’s personal phone. I am unable to–_  
  
“What the fuck??” Ink said. “Is he still in the middle of the raid or some shit? How?”  
  
_–please leave a message and include your business–_  
  
Ink hung up and dialed again.  
  
Why wasn’t Dream picking up? He always picked up.

* * *

Why was the damn phone still ringing?  
  
Blue squinted, glancing over at Dream–who had ended up asleep in his arms through a series of events–before reaching for the phone at the bedside and checking the caller ID.  
  
Ink?  
  
Oh right, he was working.  
  
A grin spread on Blue’s face. He picked it up.  
  
“Hi Ink,” he said.  
  
“The fu–Blue??” Ink asked. “Why the fuck do you have Dream’s phone?” He breathed intensely. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM.”  
  
“Shhh, don’t wake him up,” Blue said, a small whine in his voice. “He’s very tired.”  
  
“Did… did you drug him? Blue, I’m gonna fucking kill you.”  
  
“Geez, how much anger did you take and _why_? Clearly the one who’s drugged here is you, if you understand what I’m saying.”  
  
“Look Blue, I’m standing in front of the bleeding corpse of a serial killer and I need to talk to my fucking boss.”  
  
“I told you. He’s asleep.”  
  
“Why is he asleep?!”  
  
“He’s taking a nap, Ink. He hasn’t been sleeping properly lately. Shouldn’t you have realized this?”  
  
“Well _maybe_ he should’ve taken into consideration the fact that I hadn’t called him yet about finishing my goddamn mission!”  
  
Dream started to stir a little, letting out a soft moan of sorts as he turned over.  
  
“See, now look what you’ve done, you’ve woken him up,” Blue said, sighing.  
  
“Blue, why are you holding my phone?” Dream asked somewhat groggily. Ink heard it from his side.  
  
“MISSION!!” Ink yelled into the receiver. Dream blinked, realizing what was happening and snatched the phone out of Blue’s hand.  
  
“Did you do it?” Dream asked.  
  
“Yeah. Yeah, I did it. Why the hell is Blue there by the way?” Ink asked him.  
  
“Long story, don’t worry about it, I’m sending over the AMH. Good work.”  
  
“What kind of answer is–“  
  
Dream hung up and face planted into the pillow in front of him.  
  
“I’m such an idiot,” he grumbled. “I’m an idiot. I try to sleep for ONE HOUR and this happens. I forget. This is the worst.”  
  
“Oh, relax,” Blue told him. “Just a small mistake. And you fixed it, right?”  
  
Dream let out a groan, lifting his head back up and messaging the AMH Ink’s coordinates using an app made specially for the service. He then face planted again, throwing his phone back down on the table next to them.  
  
“Now it is…” he mumbled.  
  
“And you can go back to sleep,” Blue told him.  
  
“Ink is coming back. No I can’t,” Dream answered. “At least, you have to leave.”  
  
Blue smiled. “Isn’t the door locked?”  
  
“That’s not the point. How am I supposed to explain your presence here in general. It’s bad enough that you picked up my phone.”  
  
“Someone had to,” Blue told him with a shrug. “Now go back to sleep. Ink won’t really care. You know him.”  
  
Dream groaned into the pillow again. Blue scooted down next to him, bringing himself down to eye level. Dream turned his head a bit.  
  
“Sleep, Dream… I know you can…”  
  
“I’m too alert now,” Dream muttered.  
  
“I’ll make you relax if I have to,” Blue said, smirking and bringing his hand up to the side of Dream’s head and brushing his fingers through his hair.  
  
“Will you, now…”  
  
“Oh, I will.” Blue leaned forward, giving Dream a short, tender kiss. Dream let out a small grunt, grabbing Blue by his shirt and pulling him back in for another.  
  
And they just kinda… kept going.  
  
“Sneaking into that party was such a good idea,” Blue commented.  
  
“You’re such an unbelievable person,” Dream told him.  
  
Blue poked Dream on his nose. “I know you like it.”  
  
Dream emitted another grunting sound and snuggled against Blue.  
  
“The fact that I’m actually doing this is also the worst,” he mumbled.  
  
“Oh, you _looove_ me,” Blue cooed.  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
A grin rose on Blue’s face again.  
  
_And I love you, angel boy._


End file.
